Cosatu dismisses DA's tolls claim

By Drum Digital

18 April 2013

Cosatu on Thursday rejected the DA's claims that the ANC was not supporting moves to oppose tolling in the Western Cape.

"The position of the ANC in [the Cape Town] council was that we wanted further negotiations on the toll road issues, not running to court with wasting of millions of rands as the first option, so we opposed the court case," Congress of SA Trade Unions Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich said.

"We as the ANC and Cosatu are both unhappy about toll roads and Cosatu will be launching a campaign against it."

Democratic Alliance Western Cape leader Ivan Meyer said in a statement on Wednesday that Ehrenreich led the ANC caucus in Cape Town to vote against the decision to oppose the SA National Roads Agency Limited's proposed tolls in court.

"Mr Ehrenreich claims he cannot recall voting against the DA-led City of Cape Town's decision to fight tolls," Meyer said.

"Minutes of city of Cape Town council meetings show Mr Ehrenreich to be untruthful and hypocritical."

Meyer claimed the ANC abstained from voting for the city's recommendation that the intergovernmental dispute around toll roads be extended to the national ministers of transport and environmental affairs.

They also opposed the city's plan to oppose the tolling in a portfolio committee meeting for transport, roads, and stormwater.

"Mr Ehrenreich toes the ANC line of supporting tolls in council, but schizophrenically tells the public Cosatu is opposing the tolls," Meyer said.

"The public must not be fooled by politicians like Mr Ehrenreich who want to save face for the ANC while his party uses national government to empty ordinary people's pockets with expensive tolls."

Ehrenreich said the DA had wasted money on legal matters.

"The real issues of difference between the DA and Cosatu are in the funding model, as that essentially is what toll roads are about," he said.

"We want the super wealthy to be taxed more, to pay for roads and other infrastructure. These super rich are, however, mainly DA members."

-by Sapa

November 2017

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